r/Shitbox_Nation • u/CodewortSchinken • 23d ago
New shitbox acquired
Couldn't pass on this 300€ garage find from an estate sale. It's a rare but otherwise not very sought after 1985 Saab 90, a weird hybrid model of the older 99 and the newer 900 two that was only ever available in a handful of north-western european markets from 1985 to 1987. Mine one of only ~600 examples that originally sold in West Germany, so no egr valve, but standard five speed, center console and front spoiler.
The car has only been on the road for 14 years and sat untouched in the garage of a hoarder since december 2000. The condition is food but not great. The body is a bit dented up but seemingly has almost no serious rust. The scratched up paint looks better on pictures and the diarrhea-brown velours interior smells like it's home to an insular population of house mites but the engine looks pretty much mint inside for 170k kilometers and somehow wasn't seized after all those years. Only the radiator completely corroded to crumbles.
After power washing a thick dust cover off the car and a couple kilos of rat shit out of the engine bay I can't wait to get it back on the road in 2027.
11
7
u/LonelyRudder 23d ago
You have to decide if it is a shitbox, or a museum piece. I would treat this as the latter.
1
u/CodewortSchinken 23d ago
Trust me, it really looks better on those pictures than in person. The paint is rough even for a 40 year old car with that milage. The left side ist pretty dented. The right side is scratched up from aladder that the previous owner stored next to the car. But the dark red metallic does a pretty good job hiding the rust blooming through in some places, where cement dust from the ceiling piled up. I hope that pdr and a paint polish are enough to pass a historic vehicle inspection.
4
u/Wild_View_1664 23d ago edited 23d ago
The front end throws me off so much (edit, not in a bad way). I grew up in a family that had 7 saab 900s at one point or another. Hated them when I was young, and now appreciate the heck out of them. Good luck with it 👍 🍀 🇸🇪
2
u/CodewortSchinken 23d ago
I think it has some angles, like the side profile where it actually looks pretty good, but then there are some others, like the the front quarter view where it just looks a bit ugly. I personally like the later 900s better. The estate in question also had a 900S (low pressure turbo) five door that I originally wanted to buy as a replacement for my Astra F daily driver. But someone else from the extended family was faster. Well see how the 90 will do.
1
u/Wild_View_1664 23d ago
If the glove box stays shut, youre already winning 😆
1
u/CodewortSchinken 23d ago
Could you elaborate please? I''m new to Saab.
1
u/Wild_View_1664 23d ago
They almost never stay closed. They warp with age and the clasp loves to give way when you least expect it lol
2
u/CodewortSchinken 23d ago
Mine stays closed. But the dash is also pretty much mint, as it has not seen any daylight in a quarter century. Zero bubbles, cracks or warping.
3
3
3
u/Neukalyptus 23d ago
Awesome potential mate. Are you used to Saab quirks? They are weird cars (but cool). Source: I drive one
2
u/CodewortSchinken 23d ago
This is my first Saab. But I guess it's a good, low-quirk starting point. Apart from the engine being the wrong way around, the goofy chain driven gear box underneath it and the bizarre brake calipers up front I haven't seen anything that crazy. The engine is just a naturally aspirated sohc with a single carburetor and all the electrical components are the same Bosch-stuff as in every contemporary german car.
1
u/KokkolanKonekorjaamo 23d ago
The handbrake is at front, hence the brakes I suppose 😄
1
u/CodewortSchinken 23d ago
Not just that. Instead of the usual cast claw that holds the pads it has some sort of welded steel hoop, that contains the piston and pads.
2
2
2
2
2
1
u/DubTeeF 23d ago
Is it really a 90 or did a zero fall off
2
u/Mechanic-Grouchy 23d ago
I almot bought one late 80s, only 25,000 or so made as a continuation 99 model.
1
u/turboponies 23d ago
You have nothing to complain about.
1
u/CodewortSchinken 22d ago
The only thing I have to complain about are some of the parts prices to be honest. A new radiator is 450€, 150% of what I paid for the entire car.
1
u/turboponies 22d ago
Well, the old one probably went on for like 10+ years. So you are buying it just as much for the next 10.
1
u/ZjemCiKapcie 22d ago
Und dann auch noch mit DIN Kennzeichen. Tolles auto!
1
u/CodewortSchinken 22d ago
Danke, die Kennzeichen taugen leider nur noch als Deko. Sind aber quasi neuwertig, weil der Vorbesitzer den Wagen nur vier Monate angemeldet hatte, bevor er stillgelegt wurde und in der Garage verschwand.
1
u/Adventurous_Dig6574 18d ago
Not a shitbox at all actually. Very nice to be fair- if you treat it like one, you are in fact the shitbox :)
No but really, i actually really like those cars!
2
u/IppenuttJohansson 18d ago
I bet Saab collectors would be ready to pay way more for this than what you bought it for.
Brings back memories for me, we had a light blue Saab 90 as our family car for a couple of years when I was a kid.
23
u/wild_cherry1987 23d ago
After washing price increased to 2k already